Tennessee Murder Convict Captured After 10-Day Escape Ending in Missouri Mud

Jacob Morley, a Tennessee inmate serving a life sentence for murder, was captured Tuesday near Kansas City, Missouri, after evading authorities for more than ten days. The 28-year-old was found when his truck became stuck in mud, allowing troopers to apprehend him after using roadside cameras and a helicopter to track his location. Two rifles and a shotgun were recovered from the vehicle.

Morley escaped from the Northwest Correctional Complex in the far northwestern corner of Tennessee on Oct. 25. Surveillance video showed him slipping through a fence in his prison clothes. He then stole a truck from a farm near the prison, which he later abandoned in Marion, Illinois, about 127 miles from his starting point. Williamson County Sheriff Jeff Diederich said Morley walked approximately three miles from that abandoned vehicle to a nearby farm.

Investigators found evidence that Morley spent time in a shed at the Marion farm, where he drank beer and prepared garlic bread. He left a handwritten apologetic note after stealing a second truck from the property, along with clothes and the three firearms. Diederich noted that the terrain, consisting of fields and woods, made it difficult for Morley to be spotted during his walk. It remains unclear why Morley traveled to Marion and why he was eventually driving near Kansas City, which is more than 350 miles from the farm.

"How he ended up in Marion is kind of a mystery," Diederich said. He added that there is no evidence Morley received help from anyone during his escape. Kim Wheeler-Elder, a spokesperson for the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation, confirmed via text message that all available information regarding Morley's whereabouts has been released.

The Missouri State Highway Patrol was informed Tuesday morning that Morley was possibly traveling west on Interstate 70. He was compliant during his arrest and was transported to the Lafayette County jail in Lexington, Missouri. No charges have yet been filed against him in Missouri courts. However, a deputy U.S. marshal interviewed Morley at the jail on Tuesday, and he admitted to escaping the Tennessee prison and stealing the truck and firearms.

Morley has been charged in federal court in Tennessee with one count of unlawful flight to avoid prosecution. He was also charged Tuesday in federal court in Missouri with one count of being a felon in possession of a firearm. District Attorney General Danny Goodman Jr. in Tennessee said he plans to file additional charges, though it is not yet clear when Morley will be returned to Tennessee.

Morley was originally convicted in 2022 of killing his co-worker, Cody Birchfield. Birchfield's body was found in a box under Morley's home after the victim had been missing for several weeks. Morley was also convicted of first-degree murder, aggravated burglary, tampering with evidence, vandalism, and evading arrest after leading officers on a chase that ended in North Carolina.